Pope Francis among nominees for Tipperary Peace Award

Pope Francis has been nominated for the 2013 Tipperary International Peace Award.

The pope was nominated for his commitment to peace and dialogue, the Tipperary Peace Convention said.

Also nominated was Dr RIchard Haass, who has brokered talks in Northern Ireland this Christmas and was previously special envoy there.

There are five nominees in all. The International Peace Bureau, Sister Mary Tarcisa Lokot, a Uganda-based peace activist, and Dr Lee Kyu Hyung, who promotes peace through martial arts make up the list.

Previous winners have included Nelson Mandela, Mikhail Gorbachev, Jean Kennedy Smith and former US President Bill Clinton.

Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai won last year and traveled to accept the award. She had been attacked by the Taliban for going to school.